This is the only place in Japan, if not the world, where mafia bosses will take to the stage and give frank answers to questions from the audience about lives of crime and violence. Porn actresses will share a podium with (as well as perform taunting stripteases for) members of the Male Virgin Alliance. On one night, parliamentarians will be debating the government's policy on North Korea with hectoring drunks; on another, career pimps will be revealing the secrets of their profession amid a respectful hush. In fact, one never knows what to expect from this basement venue in Tokyo's Kabukicho red-light district.

The Takao Trick Art Museum is a big maze of optical illusions, 3-D artwork and clever angles for photo taking to create the impression of fun, dangerous and impossible feats. Stand on the "X" on the floor with a pained look on your face, have your friend holding the camera stand in the designated spot over there, and suddenly it looks like a real whale is leaping out of the picture frame and onto your back. Stand on the glass floor that looks as if it covers a bottomless pit and try to figure out how the mirrors create that effect from a drop of only a few centimeters. The Trick Art Museum is as much about puzzling over the illusions as it is creating funny photos to share on Facebook.

It's the Tomb of Christ. Yes, that Christ, Jesus Christ. In the town of Shingo, Aomori, Japan there is a legend that in the missing years of Christ's life he came to Shingo to study religion. Then he returned to Judea for the events of the New Testament. When Christ was arrested his Japanese brother Ishikiri took his place on the cross and Christ returned to Japan. He then settled in Shingo, had a family, and died at 103 years old.

Tucked away in a basement in Roppongi (easily the sleaziest neighborhood I went to in Tokyo, as it's the one that caters to foreigners) lies Hollow Point, a bar with a twist. Sure, you can get drinks and bar food here, but down at the end of the narrow space is a shooting gallery. You can rent any number of realistic-looking air guns (ranging from pistols with laser sights, like the one I'm using, to big semi-automatic and automatic rifles), buy a clip or three, and go to town on either the bottles set up or a zombie-headed target. Who knew that drinking and shooting guns would be such a fun combo?

Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari, located in the popular Daiba area, opened in 2003 as Tokyo’s first and only onsen (hot springs) theme park. Inside the building, constructed in traditional Japanese style, there are baths fed by natural hot springs pumped from 1,400 meters underground, open-air baths perfect for enjoying fine weather or starry night skies, a foot bath set in a large Japanese-style garden, and plenty of other bathing facilities.

ROPE is a specialty store that sells things that are a bit different to your run of the mill average adult shop. At ROPE you can find school girls uniforms, school girls socks and shirts and other things that used to belong to school girls. But, the most popular items sold are used senior school girls panties. These are wrapped in plastic with a colourful photo of the girl they belonged to attached to the front. Yours for only 4000 yen (about $US40). You can even buy them in bulk! Packs of 10 available for a discounted price!

One of the first theme restaurants to open in Tokyo, Alcatraz ER is, as its name suggests, styled after a prison hospital. A prison hospital from hell, that is. The menu includes human intestines (OK, it’s an unfeasibly long sausage in a kidney dish), a penis on a bed of lettuce (another sausage, suggestively carved) and various impossibly spicy delectables. One thing to keep in mind -- you don’t want to get on the wrong side of the wicked nurses, who have a habit of pulling down unruly customers’ trousers to administer an injection from a gigantic syringe. You have been warned.

Why would you want to visit a parasite museum, let alone this one? Well, first of all, this is the only parasite museum in the world. So, if you’re going to visit one, it’s going to be this one. Second, you’re never going to be able to see things like this in person unless you’re the proud host of said parasites. Come here to enjoy giant tape worms, parasitic turtle heads, educational maps, and more! We spent maybe an hour or so here, but it was very educational and interesting. So, if you’re into science, or if you’re just into weird things, head on over to the Meguro Parasite Museum. Give them a donation, though, they need your yens to do all that parasite-related research upstairs!

A chain of bars currently opening up in Tokyo has been getting a lot of attention for its unusual menu, which includes items such as sea lion curry and steamed Korean silkworm chrysalis. Not for the faint of stomach, Mr. Kanso, is a no-frills drinking establishment that offers an impressively diverse menu of 350 items all of which come out of a can.